Criminal Mind

Continuing with the psychiatric aspects of William Cassidy and what motivates his increasingly psychotic outbursts, it seems clear that he is more than just a sociopath, although he is a fully developed sociopath. One for the textbooks you might say. But he is more complex than it would appear. He also shows traits normally associated with things like borderline personality, and narcissism.

Of course, narcissism is also a symptom associated with the sociopath disorder, but his is very well developed to the point of obsession with himself. Everything in Cassidy’s universe revolves around himself. Nothing and nobody else matters unless they can somehow benefit him (which in Cassidy’s view means anything that would profit him or feed his enormous ego).

Borderline personality disorder is a related condition that is characterized by pervasive mood instability and significant dysfunction in personal relationships, self-image, and behavior. We have already commented on Cassidy’s wild mood swings which are characterized by outrageous rants followed by a retreat into a “safe” mode where he tries to fend off any responses to his rants by locking up his Twitter accounts. His inability to form relationships with women is another example of this condition. He went to prison for beating up, raping, and burning up the business of one former wife. No one is really sure how many wives he actually has had, but no evidence has been found of any happy marriages or relationships. This suggests a very negative relationship with his mother that has made it impossible for him to have a loving relationship with a female. In fact, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is essentially a disorder of emotion regulation. To quote from the National Institute of Mental Health:

“While a person with depression or bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for weeks, a person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day. These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse. Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, career plans, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values. Sometimes people with BPD view themselves as fundamentally bad, or unworthy. They may feel unfairly misunderstood or mistreated, bored, empty, and have little idea who they are. Such symptoms are most acute when people with BPD feel isolated and lacking in social support, and may result in frantic efforts to avoid being alone.

“People with BPD often have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. While they can develop intense but stormy attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends, and loved ones may suddenly shift from idealization (great admiration and love) to devaluation (intense anger and dislike). Thus, they may form an immediate attachment and idealize the other person, but when a slight separation or conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to the other extreme and angrily accuse the other person of not caring for them at all. Even with family members, individuals with BPD are highly sensitive to rejection, reacting with anger and distress to such mild separations as a vacation, a business trip, or a sudden change in plans. These fears of abandonment seem to be related to difficulties feeling emotionally connected to important persons when they are physically absent, leaving the individual with BPD feeling lost and perhaps worthless. Suicide threats and attempts may occur along with anger at perceived abandonment and disappointments.

“People with BPD exhibit other impulsive behaviors, such as excessive spending, binge eating and risky sex. BPD often occurs together with other psychiatric problems, particularly bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and other personality disorders.”

This description of BPD reads like a biography of William Cassidy. Obviously he suffered significant psychological damage as a youngster. Equally obviously the man needs expert medical treatment , though the likelihood of him ever seeking it out is nil. One more reason to avoid dealing with him at all costs.